Marijuana Business Magazine - April 2018

in ourselves as an organization and the movement in general. Maybe we should have been planning for more victories.” Ties That Bind Over the years, and particularly in the early days, Smith became close friends with many of the industry insiders he gathered together to form the NCIA board and build the association. Kha- latbari, for one, found problematic the blurring lines between friendship and responsibilities to NCIA. Board members “have let their rela- tionships and their ego get in the way of doing the right thing for the organiza- tion,” he said at the time of his depar- ture from the board in late January. Other people in the industry have long held a similar complaint, he added. “They feel like it’s a good ol’ boys and girls club,” Khalatbari added. As an example, Smith kept a time- share studio apartment in Denver with Kampia while NCIA was getting off the ground. Smith doesn’t believe those close relationships had a negative impact on his ability to shepherd NCIA. But he does acknowledge the situation has complicated his job. Smith admits, for example, his close ties with certain board members and industry players made difficult decisions even tougher. “I have to be a politician of sorts and try to keep as many people happy as possible,” Smith said. “The Rob (Kampia) situation was difficult for all of us on the board. But it was clearly the thing that had to be done for the sake of the membership and the integrity of the organization.” Smith said he made the decision based on the facts at hand and didn’t let the friendship or his longstanding pro- fessional relationship get in the way of his responsibilities to NCIA members. “The decision to remove an elected board member would never be taken lightly …given Rob’s contributions to the industry over the years,” Smith said. “However, ​when the board reviewed the situation it became ​very clear that we needed to take action for the best interests of our members and the indus- try’s image.” Most businesspeople know it isn’t possible to be friends with everyone, Smith said. He suggests focusing instead on what’s best for the customer and the greater industry. Next Steps Near term, Smith said he will try to bring people together following NCIA’s recent tumultuous period. “If indeed sometimes these personalities are in conflict they do share the same vision and mission that this industry needs to be treated just like any other industry in this country,” he said. “Everybody shares the end goal of normalizing and profes- sionalizing the industry.” His vision for the coming years goes beyond U.S. borders. “We need to be looking toward what this looks like as not just a state-based industry, and not just a national industry, but an interna- tional industry,” Smith said. He would like to see NCIA remain open to a wide swath of the industry as it develops. “I don’t want to see NCIA only representing the top 500 huge companies and only their interests,” he said. As for his own future, Smith doesn’t plan on going anywhere in the short term. But he might seek out greener pastures once he feels his work is done. “I plan on staying with the associa- tion for the next few years,” he said. “Once cannabis is legal federally or there’s some version of a state’s rights bill that allows states to flourish, that would probably be the time I would look to move on.” Time and events will tell whether Smith can stick to that plan. ◆ Source: NCIA 2016 Attendance at NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Lobby Days exceeds 100 member- participants. NCIA launches its first trade show, the Cannabis Business Summit & Expo in Denver, with educational tracks as well as an expo floor. NCIA’s membership tops 1,000 businesses. Chief of Staff Genifer Murray is fired in December after six weeks on the job. Board members Kayvan Khalatbari and Neal Levine resign in January. Soon after, legalization advocate Rob Kampia is ousted from the NCIA board following an ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. 2017 2018 The Allied Associations Program is launched in March to create partnerships with state and local industry associations. April 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 59